Had to throw in a gratuitous insult to make it Pitworthy. Had to put in an explanation of a perfectly clear thread title to get it to post.
Had to quote OP in first reply to annoy people.
Had to post even though I have no complaints to annoy people.
Had to post to agree that 4.99 is bloody cheap especially for Brits for whom it is about £2.50
Well, I don’t think I’m a cheapstake and I’m not really mad about it, but I am kinda sad.
I like the people here and I worry that subscription will keep new people from using it.
A few years ago, when I first signed up, there would have been no way I would have paid, but I do plan to for now.
dragongirl and others worrying about the lack of interesting newbies. Remember that the change includes a 30 day free trial.
In which time most interesting people (grapist?) get bored or booted. And the other type of interesting people will probably sign up
Meh, any time that the status quo is changed it is bound to get some folks concerned and upset. Personally, when I look at the hours of amusement that the threads here have provided, the way that my writing has improved in the time that I have been posting and the way in which my general deductive reasoning has improved as a direct result of being here I must conclude that it is worth $5 lousy bucks. Naturally, I will use these newfound powers each year to determine if the boards are still doing their job, but for now I should think that I will pay gladly.
But who really wants a free trial if it means there’s an annoying subscription reminder popping up in your face every time you post?
I think it’s too bad. it’s going to eliminate the “drop in trade” which probably made for the most entertaining threads. The only people left will be the losers with 5-figure post counts who have nedless LOTR circle jerks in cafe society.
$5.00 is nothing. What bothers me is the thought that no new members will join, and within a few short months this will degenerate into the same (realitively) small number of posters discussing/ranting/beating to death the same (realitively) small number of topics.
And why would someone like Reeder (and I’m not defending him/her! Hell, I don’t even know what thier whole vibe is other than the current thead about them. I can’t say I have ever read a post of thier’s outside of it) want to sign up for? So they can’t post?? Or be censured? Or be banned at the whim of a mod over an interpretation of unwriten rules? I would suspect that “Don’t be a jerk” is going to need to be tightened up a bit. Too much room for, shall we say, “disagreement”. :rolleyes: What guarentees/rights/privledges are you getting for your “membership”?
The SDMB is just one tiny, whirling backwater of the Mississippi of the Internet. There is so much else out there, for free, I question the (trying to think of the right word here) economy of paying for such a small slice. Especially since I only surf the site to kill time at work, which, if the boss wanted to be a dick-hole about it, would be cause for termination!
Wow! Paying for the very thing that would cost me my job! What a contorted concept to wrap my mind around! Lets see here: Pay for the Dope to kill time till I get home where I have better things to do, but the Dope gets me fired, so I have to go home where I have better things to do, so I no longer need to pay for the Dope… 
The $5.00 don’t even enter into it!
Remember that anyone can read the boards – the 30-day trial is for people who want to post. After posting for 30 days, one can decide whether it’s worth it to stay. At least, that’s how I read Ed’s announcement.
[Heartless Capitalist]
The only thing that would make this announcement even sweeter would be if libraries started charging people for video rentals and internet access.
Pardon me, do you have any grey poupon?
[Heartless Capitalist]
Okay, so I clicked the Reply button, and had to wait for a while before I could reply, and got to thinking this might not be the right thread for my comments. Apologies ahead of time.
It took me longer than 30 days to get into the Dope. I don’t think 30 days is enough to hook all the people that could eventually dig the Dope, and make a contribution to the boards. What about a 90 day trial? And you get the annoying pop up reminder for the last 30 days.
I agree with gatopescado that the Jerk Rules will need some clarification. I’m willing to run that risk for a free board, but I don’t think it is unreasonable to expect much more specific instructions about this when I pay, regardless of how little… Or some sort of appeal procedure.
I also think that a paying member should have a one strike policy for banning. Maybe a “time out” or suspension of priveliges (sp?). It seems fair to give a paying member special rights when it comes to banning.
I’m not worried about losing “interesting posters” Grapists and the white supremacists can still hang around. I’m wondering if a clique of subscribers will be created, that isn’t very welcoming/friendly to guests. The welcoming nature of this board is one of the most appealing factors to me.
My thinking is along the lines of what gatopescado asked.
I’ve been asking for clarifications of certain “rules*” for a while now. Being a paid membership, I want some of the “flying off the handle” shit that certain mods revel in to be curtailed. At least give us some specifics. None of this bullshit “I know a jerk when I see it” mind farts.
I enjoy this board, but it really needs some clear definitions for the rules.
BTW, I am going to subscribe. 
*they haven’t been rules, actually. More like reactions or someone having a bad day and/or a chip on their shoulder.
Excellent idea! I’m not sure if Ed is reading this thread but he is reading the one in ATMB so why not suggest it there? He doesn’t know what it is like coming in here from the Real World so he might not know how the SDMB needs time to insinuate itself.
I’ll third.
I know my $5 will be on it’s way for the first year. But I do still fear that new people that bring vitality to these boards will stop coming because of the fee. We will end up like my long term friends, where after long enough, we all sit around telling each other the same stories.
Has there been any thought to a voluntary donation set up? Kind of like public radio/television? I know of several sites I use that are on that kind of set up. Put up a paypal link, a note about why it is needed, and see what happens.
I’ve started a thread in ATMB about the specific issue of helping others to subscribe. I’m nagging Ed to set up an anonymous, pooled mechanism NOW. I’d appreciate your feedback there.
I can’t afford the credit card with which to make payments so me (and people like me) will be out.
As I have stated before I an one of the long term unemployed, unless this changes I too will be out of here.
I’ve got a complaint. How fucking stupid do you think I am (don’t answer that yet and bear with me)? This is an ignorance fighting board and they still go for the 4.95/14.95 maybe-they’ll-think-it’s-a-buck-less shit.
That aside, it all seems reasonable. It might be worth allowing people to buy multiple years upfront (@$15) for cashflow, but that’s a minor point.
I’m also uncertain how they’ll stop dial-up (or anyone who’s got a variable IP) from just rejoining every 30 days, but at least they’ll be getting some income.
Just wanted to add that I’ve always had fun debating here (even when I’ve had my ass handed to me :)) and I don’t begrudge Ed & co. for introducing subscriptions. You gotta do what you gotta do and if it makes the board run faster it’ll probably be worth it.